All the way from Australia to speak to us; Richard Morrell described his working career to us though a series of photographs. These were showing his work, work which inspired him to explore glass and places he’d worked and people he worked with. Richard’s work is mostly casting within his creative and personal practice. He set up his own glass blowing studio where he produced mostly saleable production blown pieces. He began casting his personal pieces into sand moulds and inserting a blown form at the end which later had the tops cut off and ground to a high polish. Later he moved kiln casting. He eventually moved into centrifugal casting into sand and water moulds.
His favourite piece is entitled “Bowl of Passion”. I asked if he has ever made work he has become to attached to that he can’t sell it and he said no. He gives his pieces very emotive titles which reflect what is going on in his life at the time of making. A piece which is relevant to my theme of study was entitled “Bowl of the Golden Dancer” as it was a bowl with footprints “dancing” around the outside of the piece.
During our morning session module – Major Project, I had begun to think about the possibility of producing a series of centrifugal bowls showing a physical journey with footprints in and around the piece, maybe with some inclusions to represent moments throughout the journey emotionally.